Introducing.....

Meet Banks! We rescued Banks from a local shelter Friday evening. He's almost three and a boxer mix. We are still trying to determine what the "mix" portion is. He is such a lover....our gentle giant for sure! Not an aggressive bone in his body. We are working to put some meat on his bones as he had shelter/kennel stress. He got his first adventure up to the mountains this weekend, and I think he really liked it!

Day Trippin'

 

 

Sunday, we decided to head out into the mountain air for the day. We wanted to let Jackson explore the outdoors and get his feet into some water. We didn't want to go far, so we just went above Arrowrock and back on some of those dirt roads. There were a ton of people up there fishing! This warm "winter" is certainly different!

 

 

Jackson went right to the water and had a drink, but had no interest in getting in. I don't blame him - it wasn't exactly warm water! Despite that, Eric picked Jackson up and tossed him out into the water. The dog instincts kicked in and he swam back to shore like a champ. Unfortunately, there was a slight breeze and the poor puppy was shaking for about 30 minutes afterwards. Poor guy!

 

 

 

We brought along a blanket, which he was laying on in the truck, so we wrapped him up in that and let him warm up in the sun.

 

 

 

 

The kids and I sat around throwing and skipping rocks while Eric took Jackson on a little walk to explore.

 

 

After we had our fill of the water, we hit the back roads and explored. We found a great little campsite that someone must have used rather recently as the firewood was freshly cut. We unloaded and had lunch. Jackson even found himself a recently killed bird and had his own lunch. The lab in him is coming out, for sure!

 

 

After lunch, we set up the targets and did some shooting. Carter and his little BB gun....cracks me up that he's using two fingers to pull the trigger. He needs some muscles!

 

 

Kendall managed to find a bone and was quite proud of herself....but mad that we didn't let her bring it home to keep in her room. Sorry, girlie.

 

 

Of course Eric and I had a friendly competition (is there such a thing?) with our targets. He had a slight handicap due to that cast. ;)

 

 

 

 

That cross-hair hit of mine is the reason Eric sleeps with one eye open. Ha! ;)

 

 

I believe this weekend is supposed to be about 20 degrees warmer, so we'll see what adventures we find next!

Spoiled Rotten

Jackson sure has adjusted well to our household. The kids are constantly playing with him - they all love each other. His interactions with the two cats are a little less loving....but they will be friends before they know it. He has had two play dates with other dogs in our family - both went really well. My parents are heading out for a travel adventure soon, so their dog, Jesse, will come stay with us. A temporary, live-in playmate for Jackson. I'm sure they will have fun.

 

Kendall lovin' on Jackson.

 

Friday nights are typically movie nights with the kids and me. Jackson is now part of this tradition. He played in their fort last night.

 

Eric trimming Jackson's nails. Just like his puppy teeth, those nails are razor sharp!

 

 

Despite the first few nights of whining right after we brought him home, he has done extremely well. The kennel training (something we have never done before) is also coming along nicely. He sure is a perfect fit for our family!

 

Please Welcome Jackson!

So we couldn't wait for tomorrow to go get this little guy, so we picked him up this morning. He's been on many adventures today, though I am more nervous for tonight. You can tell he's missing his farm life. He's a chocolate lab, and we went many rounds on his name. We finally settled on Jackson (after Jackson/Jax from Sons of Anarchy) and I think it's a good fit for him. I'm excited for this addition to our family!

R.I.P. Brittney

Today was a tough day at our house. I took the kids out to play mid-morning and noticed right away that something was wrong. Kya was lying next to Brittney - something that she never does. She's usually up and greeting us the second we walk out the door. I went over to the dogs and noticed that Brittney was laying at a strange angle. I sat down with her and realized she was having a really hard time breathing. I knew I had to get Eric home from work as soon as possible. I called the front desk and had them page Eric. I told him something was wrong with Brittney and I didn't know if he wanted me to take her to the vet, if he wanted to come home, etc. He told me he was coming right home. I sat back down with Brittney and told her that she needed to wait for her dad, and started bawling. I'm not sure why I got so emotional - she wasn't my favorite dog ever, I didn't have her from a puppy, and she never once listened to me. Except when I asked her to wait for Eric. She did. He got home and sat down with her and told her to go to sleep. She fought it for a little while, but eventually passed away. Eric really wanted to take her to the mountains and bury her near where we camp. So we made a day trip of it, packed up some food and the kids, and headed to the mountains. We found a great spot up Rabbit Creek road, near First Creek, and put her in her final resting place. I didn't expect to be hit so hard by this, but she really was a good dog. I will miss her.

 

Date of Birth:  8-17-2002

Date of Death: 6-9-2013

 

 

Brittney had a lover named Hurley. They apparently had a wild night and 10 puppies later, Brittney was a mom!

 10 puppies - can you imagine?

 

Brittney was Eric's loyal companion, friend, and adventure seeker. She was always by his side while he was fishing and camping.

 

 

 

Even though she was a turd camping sometimes - getting into it with a skunk and forcing us to vacate camp in the wee hours of the morning.

 

 

Fishing at Lake Lowell

 

 

At the swimming hole at the cabin.

 

 

 

 

She sure was great to my kids - always so protective.

 

 

Just last weekend.

 

 

Her final resting place in the mountains - with a neat stone marker and some flowers that we transplanted for her.

 

 

Rest in peace, puppy dog. We sure will miss you.